Extrusion apparatus



June 15, 1937. p w CRANE AL 2,083,557

'EXTRUSION APPARATUS Filed April 27,1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 m m w. m w 04/ Z R A NEY.

June 15, 193 7.

P. W. CRANE ET AL 2,083,557 EXTRUSION APPA'RA'IUS Filed A ril 27, 1935 s Sheets-Sheet s Paul W Crane INVENTORS Reuben Z'f'z'elos ATTORNE Patented- June 1 15, 1937:

PaulW. Cnne,Montclair,andBenbmT.Fields,

Arlington, N. 1., assignors, by meme alignments. to-E.I.duPontdeNemonrs&Oorn- Wilmington,

py, ware Del, a corporation of Dehas... me, 1935, Serial in. 18,681

' c (cl. ls-is) This invention relates to. an extrusion apparatusand, more particularly. to an apparatus for extruding a plastic in sheet .form, said apparatus having means for accurately measuring the call- Der of the extruded sheet and means for controlling the caliper of the sheet as it is extruded. The invention relates particularly to such apparatus adapted to extrude a plastic in a continuous web or sheet. 1

Heretofore sheets of plastic material have been made by extruding plastic in a more or less doughlike state under pressure through a slit-like orifice; as a matter of eiliciency and economy, this is usually done as acontimlous operation to give a 5 long web of plastic which is subsequently cut into desired lengths. The production of sheets of cellulose derivative plastic, i. e., cellulose nitrate and acetate, has been carried out'in this way. In Crane 8: Fields U. 8. Patent 1,956,564,

patented May 1, 1934, is fully disclosed the extrusion of a continuous sheet or web of cellulose ester plastic, the plastic being rather soft as extruded and-being conducted into a liquid bath to remove solvent and make the sheet firmer and more solid. Plastics maybe extruded into air instead of aliquid bath, depending on evaporation of solvent to make the sheet solid. Also,

heating the plastic before extrusion and extruding into a cold atmosphere tends to give the extruded 3 sheet the requisite firmness to be handled further.

Other types of plastic may be worked in this general manner.

The manufacture ofsheets by extrusion has involved a serious problem inso far as getting a finished sheet of uniform caliper, i. e., thickness, is concerned. This is particularly true where the sheeting isto be used as an interlayer in safety glass, since satisfactory production and functioning of safety glass requires sheeting that vclosely 40 approaches perfect uniformity of caliper over the entire area ofthesafetyglass.

The caliper "of extruded sheets is influenced by a number of factors such as the width of the slit-like orifice through which the plastic is extruded, the consistency of the plastic, the 'pres-.

sure under which it isextruded, and the temperature of the-plastic as it is extruded, which infiu ences the consistency. V A

Heretofore-it has been usual to form the .slitlike orifice for the extrusion of the sheet by the 1 paratus forrextrilding a a combination of a slit-like oriflce through which use of rigid metallic jaws to control the caliper of thesheet by simple adjustment of thefi'two;

jaws towards or away from each other. This has rect linearity and the mounting of them in completely parallel relationship is extremely difiicult because of the length of the jaw members required for an extrusion orifice to make sheets of great width, because of the difllculty of originally 5 machining such parts to the necessary accuracy, because of the temperature influences to which the jaws are exposed in service which tend.

through causing expansion, to warp the jaws out of complete linearity and parallelism, and because of the tendency of the pressure of the plastic to spread the jaws apart. A further factor contributing to non-uniform ity of caliper'of the extruded sheet, even assuming the orifice itself tobe geometrically perfect, is a lack of uniformity in the consistency of'the. plastic and in the effective pressure upon the plastic across the full width of the orifice. Also itis diflicult to avoid differences in temperature ofthe plastic across the entire width of the orifice and a zone of lower temperature, for example, results in a local stiffening of the dough thereby causing a lower rate of extrusion and local refduction in' the caliper of the sheet.

I thus avoid effecting irregularities in the caliper -of the extruded sheet, as heretofore has been practically unavoidable. A further object ofthe present invention is to provide means in such an apparatus for accurately measuring the callper of thecxtruded sheet so that immediate adjustment of the means for controlling the caliper of the sheet may be made if it appears that the I extruded sheet is showing irgegularities in caliper or thickness. A still further object of the inven tion is to provide such means for measuring the caliper of the extruded sheet whereby irregularities of caliper can be promptly'detected with ease and simply corrected with a minimum loss of material. Other objects will be apparent from' the description of the invention givenhereinafter The above objects are accomplished according to the present invention by providing in an ap',- 50

plastic in sheet form the the pastic'is extruded, a plurality of means for controlling thecaliper of the sheet at spaced intervalsacrossitswidth-asitisextrudeiandati T More specifically, the invention comprises in.

an apparatus for extruding plastic in sheet form, the combination of a slit-like orifice through which the plastic is extruded, said orifice comprising a fixed lower jaw and an adjustable upper jaw, said jaws being substantially straight and parallel, and a plurality of adjusting bolts connected to the uppervvv jaw at spaced intervals throughout its length and adapted to control the distance between upper and lower jaws at spaced points across the width of the orifice whereby the caliper of the sheet'can be controlled at a plurality of points across its width as it is extruded. Positioned parallel to and in front of the orifice a distance only sumcient for the sheet being extruded to become fairly firm, is a fixed straight edge over which the sheet is passed and on which the sheet bears. A rigid cross member is mounted above and parallel to said straight edge and carries a plurality of individual rockers which are pivotally mounted with their axes parallel to the straight edge and are positioned so as to bear lightly on the sheet as it passes over said straight edge. These individual rockers, which preferably correspond in number and relative position across 5 the width of the sheet with the adjusting bolts connected to the upper jaw of the orifice, are connected with some means for indicating the angular movement of the rockers caused by variations in the caliper of the sheet passing between the straight edge and the rockers. In such an apparatus it will be seen that observation of the indicating means will instantly show if some irregularity in the caliper of the sheet being extruded is occurring and this irregularity can he 5 immediately adjusted by manipulation of the adjusting bolt or bolts corresponding to the rockers which have indicated the irregularity in caliper.

In order to more fully understand the invention', reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of an apparatus according to the present invention, parts being broken away where unnecessary to the understanding of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation in the direction of arrows 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 isan elevation in the direction of arrows 3-8 of Fig. 1;

Fig. is an elevation in the direction of arrows 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig.5isanenlargedsectiononthe line H of Fig. 3; A

Fig. 8 is an elevation in the direction. of the arrows 8-8 of Fig. 5;

. Fig. '7 is an elevation corresponding to Fig. 3 .but illustrating a modified form of means for measuring the caliper of the extruded sheet;

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is an; elevation in the direction of the arrows 8-8 of Fig. 8. a

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, there is illustrated an apparatus adapted to extrude a plastic in sheet form continuously; parts not pertaining to the invention have been broken away and it is to be understood that means for extruding the plastic under pressure through the extrusion orifice to be described, would be provided and that the extruded sheet after passing through the seasoning bath illustrated would be subsequently passed through other baths, drying chambers, and the like as the particular process used might require.

Reference numeral I indicates generally a frame work carrying the so-called seasoning tray 2 containing the liquid bath 3 adapted to remove solvent from the sheet 4 which is extruded directly into the bath and travels in the direction indicated by the arrows. This frame work i is also connected to the slit-like extrusion orifice on the lefthand side of the seasoning tray 2, looking at Fig. 1. This orifice comprises a straight rigid metallic lower jaw 5 mounted by a plurality of bolts 6 in fixed position on the lower part'of the container 8 which holds the plastic to be extruded. The upper jaw 9 of the orifice is held adjacent the upper portion of the container 8 by means of aplurality of bolts "passing through the vertical slots H in the jaw memher 9. v The vertical slots II are more-clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 where the bolts it have been omitted for purposes of illustration. The upper jaw member 9 is adapted to be vertically adjusted at a plurality of spaced intervals throughout its length by means of the bolts l2 screwed into the upper surface of the jaw 9 and passing through drilled holes in the portion l3 of the container 8.

, Nut it looks the bolts l2 with respect to the jaw 9 whereas nuts I1 and i8 control the relation of the bolts l2 with respect to the portion 13 of the container 8.

The orifice above described comprises the lower jaw 5 which is rigid and remains in a fixed position and the upper jaw l which may be adjusted vertically by means of the bolts I2 and nuts I! and II. It will be understood that,

although the upper jaw 9 is preferably a substantially rigid metal bar, in an extrusion orifice of 6 feet in width, or so, the vertical distance between the upper jaw 8 at any particular point and the lower jaw i may be varied by manipulation of the adjusting bolt l2 at that point along the jaw 9. By this construction there is provided means of controlling the caliper of the sheet as it is extruded at a plurality of spaced intervals across the width of the orifice. If the 'caliper of the sheet being extruded is too great toward one side, the bolts i2 and nuts H and I8 which control the position of the bolts l2 may be adjusted to force down the jaw 9v at that point and thus correct the irregularity in caliper. If desired, the bolts l0 passing'through the vertical slots ll of jaw 9 may normally be tightened up so that it is necessary to loosen them before attempting to adjust vertically any portion of the jaw 9.- As a practical matter, it has been found sufficient to have the bolts ll merely drawn up sufilciently tight to hold the jaw 9 against the adjacent face of the container 8 but still not so tight as to prevent vertical adjustment of the jaw 9 through the bolts l2.

The means for measuring the caliper of'the extruded sheet is carried on a separate frame independent of the frame work i, in orderto avoid vibration that might result from the extrusion of the plastic. This frame comprises four uprights, two of which are shown in Fig.1 and are designated by the reference numerals 2| and 22 and connecting angle irons 23 only one'of which is shown. Bolted to upright 22 5 istheenendedsrmllwhichcarries-acrosschannelmemberllsupportedat theopposite nd'byanotherestendingarmsimi- .lartofl. tochannelmember "by bolts Ii (seem 1.3, and-5) isva rigid cross member 21 which is posiiioned-at right angles tothepathottravelortheestrudedsheet. B!

meansofthediflerentislscrewsflandlland nuts,thecrossmember2'|carriestherigid straight edge 3|,parallelthereto andsupported therefrom vertically a distance which can beaccuratelyadjustedhymeansof the difierential screws 2| and-2! (see 16g. 3). By referringtol ig. 1,itwillbenotedthatthestraight isedgeilispositionedwithintheseasoningtray 2, although supported independently thereof, in

frontoiandpanlleltothejawslandlforming' the extrusion orifice and hence at right anglesto the pathoitravelotthe extruded sheet 4 20 which over it and bears on it. The height of the straight edge may be varied but, where a seasoning bath 'is m yed, it is preferred to spot it on screen 41. By proper adjustment of the distance between-the straight edge and.

the rigid cross'member 21 carryinggrockersjl.

- and adjustment oi'the angular relationship ofmirrorsllandlhtherowotspotslicanbe made to fall exactly-on the line II on screen 41 whena section of sheet lot perfectly unii'orm and desired caliper across its, width isbetween rockers SI and straight edge ll. When thespparatus is in operation and the sheet I moving through the seasoning tray 2,.the operator can have the top of the straight edge slightly below the-level oithehatnaillustratedin Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 3, 5, and 6, the crossmember II has a series of depending hiiurcated brackets 35 rigidlyattached thereto by-bolts 36 and pins 31. The brackets 35 are provided with hearings to receive the pins a 38 oi the rockers 3|."These individual rockers I! are free to pivot on the axes formed by'their' pins l8,theaxesbeingoficentersotbatthe rockers are, in efl'ect, individual cams or levers. The mounting oi the rockers II is that '3 they bear lightly on the-sheet 4 as it passes over the straight edge II 'and, of course. the individual rockers are given a certain angular movement about their axes by irregularities in caliper oi the sheetl passing beneath them.

dicated by mounting on each a plane refiecting I surface or mirror II and providing a lightprotell instantly by glancing at' screen-ll whether thesheetisoiun'ii'orm anddesiredcalipen'. Va-

riationsin caliper of sheet 4 passing under rockers I! will throw one or several spots. 53 above a or below the line ll indicating to the operator. V

that sheet is being extruded too-thick ortoo thin at certain points across its width. The angularmovementoitherockersisgreatly mag- 20 nifiedbythe timetherayorbeamoi light strikes thescreenll. ,Assoon asavariationin 'caliper of sheet is signaled to the operator, adjustment or the extrusion orifice is made by suitable manipulation of the adjusting bolts i2 and associated nuts to alter the distance between theadjustable jaw Q and the fixed jaw 5 of the orifice at various local points. To facilitate location of the particular bolts I! to be manipulate lit it is preferred to have the number of bolts ii! and rockers 3! correspond and also their lrelative positions .across the width of the sheet 4. I! desired, the

The angular movement 0! the rockers is inspots 53 on screen "and the 'bolts I! can be correspondingly numbered. In this manner, it the spot of light having a certain number shows on the screen 41.01! the center line II, the operator will know that the correspondingly numbered adjusting bolt It requires adjustment.

It is an obvious matter 01 economy't'o correct an improper variation in caliper of sheet I as soon as possible after it occurs; for this reason,

it is desirable to place the straight edge, II,

' jecting'means II for each rocker. One of the.

light projecting means ll is conventionally illustrated in Fig.4, being mounted on the separate frame carrying the measuring bly. As shownbythedottedlineinnghthelightpmjecting means ll proiectsarayoflightagainst,

' the reflecting suriace I on rocker II, which ray is then reflected to mirror I, then to'mirror, and finally to the ho'risontal screen or panel 41. The mirrors II and u and screen ll extend en'- 'tire1y'acrossthewidthoithesheet4andre-' ceive and/or reflect all oi the individual rays reflected from the various rockers llrthe 45 and I8 and screen I! are rigidly mounted on angle ot'mirrors-li and I. is adjusted sothat therayotlightrefiectediroma on a'portion oi the sheet I of correct caliper will" be reflected from mirror ll horizontally to the 6 vertical center of screen H.

In mg. 4 ii-illustrated a preferred mm of 1 screen ll which is part: 1y convenient.

- -j thespotsoi'light i'allingthereonwili bevisible i'romeitherimntorrear..'ihescreenllispro- -mied withac nter horlsonl r d line ll d rockers l9 and associated parts, close to the extrusion orifice. On the other hand, even though the rockers I! bear very lightly on sheet I, it is desirable to allow the sheet to become relatively firm beiore'passing under the rockers. Accordingly, thestraight edge 3|, rockers 3|, and the like, are placed as near the extrusion orifice as can be safely done without danger extruded sheet,

The number of adjusting-bolts or screws 12 and rockers as provided with any rticular extruslonapneratusmay be varied and will din'er appreciably with extrusion orifices oi diite'rent widthsa For accurate control oi' the caliper of the extruded sheet, both the adjusting bolts or screws and the rockers should be closely spaced.

A slight lateral shrinkage oi the sheet develops between the time oi it's formation at the extrusion orifice and its e through the measuring means and, thereiore,.the' rockers are advanof marringthe I tageouslyflspaced slightly closer together than the adjusting bolts 01' An alternative form oi measuring means is illustrated in Figs. 7,8, and 9, more or less 'diupper and'loweFpa-rsllel ruled lines II and II,

respectively. Each ray or beam oi light |re--.

154m. e form b s t a dial gauges v63, actuated by movement of the rocker Gil through the rod 65 and suitable gearing contained in the housings 66 which hold the dial gauges. The manner of using this form of indicating means is similar to the manner of using the reflected ray indicating means in principle, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. The operator reads the series of gauges rather than observing a row of light spotson a screen. i

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular apparatus herein illustrated but includes within its scope the va-'- rious equivalent means of controlling the caliper of the sheet as it is extruded and equivalent means of measuring the caliper of the, extruded sheet, such as will occur to those skilled in the art.

The use of a seasoning bath forms no essential part of this invention and will be used or omitted, depending upon the type of extrusion process .being employed, I

While the upper jaw of the orifice illustrated is stated to be relatively flexible, this 'merely means only flexible enough to permit adjustment by means of the adjusting bolts or screws. Actually, in an orifice 6 feet wide, ,or so, the upper jaw will comprise a substantially rigid piece of metal, solid nickel is suitable, and be similar .to the lower jaw. The lower jaw ot'the orifice may be made adjustable instead of the upper jaw, or, if desired; both may be made adjustable.

In effect, the adjusting bolts or screws for controlling the extrusion orifice are substantially independent of each other in their. action so that adjustment of one of them is eflfective only in the zone which it directly controls but, obviously, the stiffness of even a relatively flexible metal jaw member is sumcient to transmit the eifect 01' an adjustment at one point-slightly into the zones controlled by adjacent adjusting bolts or screws.

This is highly desirable, since it militates against the development of sudden inequalities in thickness along the width of the sheet which inequalities are, for practical purposes, much more serious than gradual changes of even greater total magnitude. 5

Instead of employing the type of orifice herein illustrated to control the caliper of the sheet as extruded; other equivalent means may be employed. For example, the orifice may comprise a pair of fixed jaws which are not adjustable at a plurality oi points across the orifice, and the caliper of the sheet as extruded may be controlled by using a plurality of vertically and independently adjustable restricting blocks, plungers', or the like, disposed in the container for the plastic adjacent and parallel to the orifice. Such restricting blocks, or the like, when lowered in the path of the plastic flowing toward the orifice will narrow the pathvertically and tend to restrict the fiow of plastic, consequently decreasing the caliper of the sheet as extruded at the particular zone where the block or blocks 'have been lowered. These restricting blocks will preferably correspond in number and relative position acres the width of the orifice to the number and relative position of the rockers across the width of the extruded sheet in order to facilitate corrections of irregularities inealiper of the sheet noted by the indicating means controlled by the rockers. Adjustment of the caliper of the sheet would be efiected, in principle,

these rockers is indicated by the needle I! oi.

in the same manner as when using the adjusting bolts illustrated.

Other means for controlling the caliper of the sheet as extruded, at a plurality of spaced points across the width of the extrusion orifice, may be employed as will be understood by those skilled in the art- Such means include not only physical obstructions in the path of the plastic being extruded but also means regulating the pressure on the plastic, or the temperature of the plastic,

at a number of points across the width of the The plurality of means for measuring the caliper of the extruded sheet may be varied considerably. It is preferred to have the individual rockers which are, in effect, cams or levers, mounted on a single rigid cross member .positioned above and parallel to the straight edge over which the extruded sheet passes. This is a matter of convenience in adjusting the dis tance between all of the rockers simultaneously and the straight edge. However, the rockers may be mounted for individual adjustment and, as a practical matter, it is convenient to have the rockers individually adjusted although, at the same time, carried by a rigid cross member. The use of other indicating means actuated by the angular movement of the rockers is, of course, obvious, the light projecting means merely illustrating a particular modification which has been found highly successful in. practice.

The rockers employed must be made of material which -will not be corroded by any liquid bath in which they are immersed. Salt brine is usually used as the liquid bath for seasoning the sheets and the rockers may be advantageously made of nickel which resists the corrosion of the brine bath. The rockers are preferably of a light construction consistent with adequate rigidity, and so balanced that their weight upon the sheet beneath them, while sufficient to maintain accurate contact therewith, is not great enough to produce any permanent indentation on the sheet.

An advantage of the present invention is that it provides an apparatus capable of producing extruded sheets having the greatest uniformity of caliper. A further advantage is that the apparatus allows the prompt detection of slight variations incaliper of the extruded sheet and the immediate correction thereof with a minimum amount of labor and attention bythe operator.

7 As many apparently widely difierent embodiments of this invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it-is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments thereof except as defined in the appended claims.

We claim: Y 4

1. In an apparatus for extruding plastic in sheet form, the combination comprising a slitlike orifice through which the plastic is extruded, a-pluralityof means for controlling the caliper of the sheet at spaced intervals'across its width as it is extruded, a fixed straight edge positioned parallel to and in front of said orifice over which edge the sheet passes and on which the sheet bears, a plurality of individual rockers pivotaily mounted above saidstraight edge with their axes parallel to said straight edge, said rockers being podtioned so as to bear lightly on the sheet as it passes over said straight edge, and means for aoeassr oi the sheet passing between the straight edge and the rockers.

2. In an apparatus for extruding plastic in sheet form, the combination comprising'a slitlike orifice through which the plastic is extruded, a plurality-oi means for controlling the caliper of the sheet at spaced intervals across its width as it is extruded, a fixed straight edge positioned parallel to and in front of said orifice over which straight edge the sheet passes and on which the sheet bears, a rigid cross member mounted for and relative position acrossthe width of the sheet. I

3. In an apparatus for extruding plastic in sheet form, the combination comprising a slitlike orifice through which the plastic is ex-' truded, a plurality of means for controlling the caliper oi the sheet at spaced intervals across its width as it is extruded, a fixed straight edge positioned parallel to and in front of said orifice over which straight edge the sheet passes and on which the sheet bears, a rigid cross member mounted for vertical adjustment with respect to said straight edge above and parallel to said straight edge, a plurality of individual rockers carried by said cross member, said rockers being pivotally mounted with their axes parallel to said straight edge and being positioned so as to bear lightly on the sheet as it passes over said straight edge, plane reflecting surfaces mounted'on said rockers, means for projecting parallel rays of light on saidrefiecting surfaces and a screen for Kit catching the rays of light reflected from said reflecting surfaces whereby the angular movement of the rockers caused by variations in the caliper oi. thesheet passing between the straight edge and the rockers may be indicated, the controlling means and the rockers corresponding in number and relative position across the width of thesheet. I

4. In an apparatusv for extruding plastic in sheet form, the combination comprising a slit-- like orifice through which the plastic is extruded to form a sheet, said orifice comprising afixed lower jaw and an adjustable upper jaw, said jaws being substantially straight and parallel, a plurality of adjusting bolts connected to said upper positioned parallel to and in front of said orifice on which the sheet bears, a plurality of individual rockers pivotally mounted above said straight edge with their axes parallel to said straight edge. said rockers being positioned to bear lightly on the sheet as it passes over said straight edge, and means for indicating the angular movement of each rocker about its axis caused by variations in the caliper of the sheet passing between the straight edge and the rockers, the number of rockers and their position across the width of the sheet corresponding with the number of adjusting bolts and their position across the width of the orifice.

5. In an apparatus for extruding plastic in sheet form, the combination comprising a slitlike. orifice through which the plastic is extruded to form a sheet, said orifice comprising a fixed lower jaw and an adjustable upper jaw, said jaws being substantially straight and parallel, a plurality of adjusting bolts connected to said upper jaw at spaced intervals throughout its length and adapted to control the distance between upper and lower jaws at spaced points across the width of the orifice whereby the caliper oi the sheet can be controlled at a plurality of points across its width as it is extruded, a fixed straight edge positioned parallel to and in front of said orifice over which straight edge the sheet passes and on which the sheet bears, a plurality of individual rockers pivotally mounted above said straight edge with their axes parallel to said straight edge,' said rockers being positioned to bear lightly on the sheet as it passes over said straight edge, plane reflecting surfaces mounted on said rockers, means for projecting parallel rays of light on said reflecting surfaces, and a screen for catching the rays of light reflected from said reflecting surfaces whereby the angular movement of the rockers caused by the variations 1 of the caliper of the sheet passing between the straight edge and the rockers may be indicated,

the number of the rockers and their position across the width of the sheet corresponding with the number of adjusting bolts and their position across the width of the orifice.

6. In an apparatus for extruding plastic in sheet form, the combination comprising a slitlike orifice through which the plastic is extruded, a plurality of means for controlling the caliper of the sheet at spaced intervals across its, width as it is extruded, a fixed straight edge positioned parallel to and in front of said orifice over which members mounted above said straight edge and positioned so as to bear lightly on the sheet as it passes over said straight edge, and means for indicating the movement of each member caused by variations in the caliper of the sheet passing between the straight .edge and the members.

PAUL W. CRANE. REUBEN T. FEEDS. 

